Calm yourself. This breathless routine is not only premature, it’s less than insightful.

The Lakers’ sweep of Denver was a fairly impressive accomplishment, but it did not herald the next NBA champion. It did not announce the new playoff bully was in town.

All those worried about which team the Lakers would best match up against in the next round had best take one humongous step backward and focus on the very real problem at hand:

The Utah Jazz.

This is a dangerous opponent, one completely capable of ending the Lakers’ season well shy of champagne, parades and all the hyperventilating – that for too many – already seems to be taking place.

The Jazz are a far cry from the Denver Nuggets. They actually partake in this strange element of the game called … defense.

The Jazz will not turn into a hardwood puddle under the first sign of stress, start moaning to officials and pointing fingers, and generally self-destructing like those lovable Nuggets.

Still, the expectation level for the Lakers was definitely elevated by sweeping Denver.

No other team managed to pull out the brooms, and East favorites Boston and Detroit have struggled in the opening round.

“Just look at all the other matchups in the playoffs, and see how hard it is to get a sweep against a team that won 50 games,” forward Luke Walton said. “That shows a lot about us.”

True, of course. The Lakers appeared remarkably focused, won in different ways, continued to pass the ball well, and if not consistently at the top of their defensive game, played it well enough to hold down a Nuggets team that, if nothing else, was explosive.

With the sweep, expectations naturally have risen.

Attach that to finishing with the best regular-season record in the West, and suddenly there is almost giddiness among the Lakers faithful.

“Every game you win, expectations change,” forward Lamar Odom said. “So with this team winning the West, of course expectations change. You win in the playoffs, expectations change.

“But those are good expectations, so hopefully they keep coming.”

It’s fine to be encouraged by the Lakers’ first round, but best not to read too much into it. It assures nothing beyond advancing to the next round.

If the Lakers lose one of these first two games at Staples Center, they’re in serious trouble.

“I think that people who know the game know that every round has its own meaning,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We have momentum, obviously.

“But you just can’t expect things to go your way in this kind of situation. You just have to get into the series, identify the team personnel and anticipate matchups and go from there.”

The Lakers winning the West in the regular season was a very nice, if unexpected, accomplishment.

Yet it’s not like they blew every team away and established themselves as this behemoth ready to create playoff havoc in the West. Look out little people, the Lakers are in town!

The Lakers edged New Orleans and San Antonio by a single game. They finished only three games better than the Jazz.

Really, there is not a whole lot to separate the four remaining teams in the West. This is hardly a time for the Lakers to overreact to a first-round victory.

“I think it’s created more good buzz,” Kobe Bryant said. “People are obviously excited about what we can do.

“But it’s just status quo for us. We haven’t changed one lick, just continue to do what we do.”

Thus far, that’s been a heartening aspect to these Lakers. Outwardly at least, they appear to be taking nothing for granted. They are neither bashful about stating their goal, nor recognizing each series of steps required to arrive there.

“I don’t think this team is going to let it slip away,” Walton said. “We have too much talent and too much leadership between Kobe and Derek (Fisher). They’re as solid and strong as you can be.

“The guys who have lost, have that hunger in their eyes. We want a championship.”

So do the rest of the surviving teams. And as for momentum, every team that advances, has it.

And the Lakers have been sitting around for six days, while the Jazz continued to play, to stay sharp.

There can be no letdown in today’s opener, or Utah is completely capable of stunning the Lakers.

It will be something of a difficult adjustment for the Lakers, going from the freewheeling Nuggets to a Utah team that is not only more disciplined and cohesive, but doesn’t figure to vaporize when things get tough.

Behind the underrated Deron Williams – he averaged 23.2 points and 6.5$ 5 $7against the Lakers – Utah will force the Lakers to raise their level of play to advance. And the Lakers have had trouble against quick, young point guards all season.

The trick for the Lakers is to be confident, without getting caught up in a week’s worth of genuflecting, and not be overconfident.

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